Eyes of the Condemned
by StaindRedGlass
Summary: STORY 7: A man from Tony's past comes back to haunt him and to continue playing his twisted game. To stop a serial killer, and to ensure the safety of Jamie, the team must stop the psychopath and find the bodies of all the victims.
1. Chapter 1

Here's the 7th story in my series. If you haven't read the other stories, then I advise you to not proceed until you do. This is a series. It runs in sequence. To understand certain things (especially where Jamie came from), it's best to just start at the beginning. This series is kind of like my very own NCIS season 4. As of this point, the series consists of: story 1 A Link to the Past (comes in 3 parts)… story 2 Wrong Place, Wrong Time…. story 3 Second Job… story 4 Daughters… story 5 A Personal Vendetta… story 6 Bless the Children… story 7 Eyes of the Condemned (current story). Hope you enjoy it.

Note: Special thanks go out to** may2002** for helping me develop the concept for this story and getting my creative juices flowing.

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**Chapter 1**

**Prologue: How it all began a couple years ago**

Tony is a Baltimore detective who has been working on a current case regarding missing women. A serial killer has been terrorizing the Baltimore streets for a couple months now and the evidence is in short supply as the predator is very smart.

Tony is at the police station finishing up a chat police Chief Brian Donavan.

"I can't believe you're doing this to me." Tony said.

"It wasn't my idea. The man was very eager to observe you working." Chief Donavan stated.

"Come on… Do I look like a baby-sitter? Especially for some NCIS agent? You know I hate Federal agents."

"You may hate Federal agents, but he specifically requested to observe you and he made it perfectly clear that, no, isn't an option."

"If the man starts coming on to me… I'm gonna be extremely pissed off."

"You don't have to be worry about that. I heard he was married three times."

"Obviously those women had no idea what they were getting into so they left his sorry ass."

"Either way… Enjoy your baby-sitting job. The next crime-scene you investigate… He'll be there."

"Great… I'm really looking forward to it."

"I know you're not."

"Seriously… I'm completely filled with joy over this."

Chief Brian Donavan shakes his head as Tony turns to walk away. Tony walks out of the Chief's office. He walks down the hallway to the small kitchen area where there's a refrigerator and a coffee machine. As he enters the room he sees a man, Gibbs, sitting at the table drinking a coffee that he brought in himself. Tony immediately goes to the refrigerator, opens the door and pulls out a soda can. He slams the door shut and bashes his hand against the side of the refrigerator. Tony leans against the wall, opens his soda and takes a sip.

"You know, beating up a refrigerator isn't gonna make it better." Gibbs stated. "Let me guess… You have to do something you don't wanna do."

"Good guess." Tony said. "It pisses me off that I have to baby-sit some cocky Federal agent."

"What agency?"

"NCIS… It stands for…"

"Naval Criminal Investigative Service."

"So you're familiar with it?"

"I had my share of run-ins with NCIS, so yeah, I know of it."

"They investigated you for something?"

"Nah… More like a liaison of some sort."

"You ever work with a guy by the name of Jethro Gibbs?"

"I bumped into him a couple times."

"I hear he's a cocky son-of-a-bitch."

"He's a very good investigator but he can really be a bastard."

"Those three wives of his were smart to leave him then."

"They probably were."

"This Gibbs guy wants to observe me for some odd reason."

"Really? Why?"

"I got no idea… But if he gets in my way I'll pop a cap in his ass."

Gibbs laughs.

"I'm guessing you're not too fond of Federal agents?" Gibbs asked.

"You catch on quickly Mister." Tony responded.

"I've never been fond of Federal agents either, especially those who I don't work with. But NCIS agents aren't so bad."

"How exactly do work with NCIS?"

Tony's beeper begins to make a noise. Tony looks down to check.

"I hate to cut this conversation short… But I gotta go." Tony stated.

Tony walks to the door. He turns and looks back at Gibbs.

"It was nice meeting you Sir." Tony said.

Tony left the room and runs down the hallway.

"Same here… See you at the crime-scene DiNozzo." Gibbs said softly to himself. He then takes a sip of his coffee.

Tony has been at the crime-scene for quite some time. He's basically finishing up a couple things inside the house where a pair of eyes were left on the table for the children to see when they got home from school. Tony walks out of the house and toward a truck to put some stuff in. As he's walking, he notices a girl across the street. Two men are walking in Tony's direction.

While paying attention to the girl across the street, Tony bumps into a man and his coffee spills. He looks down to see the coffee and the cup on the ground. His eyes slowly move upward toward the person's face. When his eyes reach the jacket, he recognizes it. Gibbs glares at Tony as his eyes meet his.

"Please tell me you're not Agent Jethro Gibbs." Tony said.

"No, I'm not." Gibbs said.

"Oh thank God!" Tony takes a quick breath of relief.

"I'm Special Agent Jethro Gibbs. And I'm a cocky son-of-a-bitch."

"This is gonna be a long day."

"That it is."

Tony sighs and walks away toward the truck. Gibbs turns and watches Tony. The man standing next to Gibbs looks to him.

"Are you sure you want him on the team Boss?" The man asked.

"He's perfect for the job." Gibbs answered.

"Why?"

"My gut tells me he is."

Tony continues to process the crime-scene with Gibbs observing.

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**A Couple Days pass**

Tony gets back to his apartment to find a small package at the door. He picks up the package. He takes out his keys, unlocks the door and opens it. Tony puts the package on the table. He then puts his stuff down and grabs himself a soda. He walks over to the package and begins to unwrap it. As he opens the packages, he notices there are ice packs in it. On top of the first ice pack, there's a small note. He opens the note noticing that it's written in blood. The note reads; The Game Begins… It's all in the Eyes… Welcome to My Sickness. He lifts the top ice pack to reveal a pair of eyes. Tony immediately throws the package as he wasn't expecting to see what he saw.


	2. Chapter 2

**Wednesday**

**Chapter 2**

**Present Day**

Late Wednesday night on the streets of Baltimore, Larry Dermont, who was recently released from prison, is walking down the side-walk. He looks across the street at a couple of women and begins thinking what they would look like with their eyes cut out. He stops near a car and stares at the women. An evil grin stretches over his face. In the passenger side mirror of the car, he notices a man off to the left.

"I wasn't expecting someone to be following me so soon." Larry said softly to himself.

Larry takes another look in the mirror and notices who it is. He turns to the right and begins walking back down the side-walk.

"I've been looking for a present to send to Anthony… And since you're following me Danny… You'll do." Larry said softly to himself as he continues walking. "What am I gonna with you Danny. You were never good at remain unseen when following a person."

After making a couple turns down side streets, Larry finally turns right and walks into a dark alley where his car is waiting. Danny, a detective who was following him and who is friend's with Tony, stops and pops his head out to see down the empty alley. He doesn't see Larry somewhere. Danny slowly and cautiously walks down the alley. He walks to a door to see if it will open, but it appears to be locked. He continues walking further into the alley.

A couple seconds later, the door opens and Larry walks up behind Danny. With holding a cloth, from behind, he places the cloth over Danny's nose and mouth. While holding the cloth to his face, Larry forces him to the ground.

"Night, night Danny." Larry said.

Hours later Danny wakes up in an abandoned house somewhere in lower Pennsylvania. He's tied down to a table with duct tape over his mouth. He moves his head to look to the left where he sees a man's back. He struggles a little bit trying to set himself free. Larry turns around.

"Don't bother struggling. It's pointless."

Larry turns to his work station and grabs a knife. He then turns to Danny while holding the knife behind his back. He walks to the table where Danny is tied down to. Larry is now standing right next to the table. He looks down at his victim.

"You're gonna help me bring Anthony DiNozzo back home to Baltimore. Well… I should say… Your eyes will." Larry stated.

Larry moves his arm to reveal the knife to Danny. He now sees the fear in his eyes.

"I never had a male victim before… So this will be a first. Besides… What better way to bring Anthony home then to give him the eyes of his old partner."

Larry smiles evilly as he brings the knife closer to Danny's face. He grabs Danny's face with his free hand. Then he begins to peel the duct tape off his mouth.

"I prefer hearing my victims scream. It's what drives me really. Besides, we're in an area where no one will ever hear you. So scream your heart out. But look on the bright side Danny… You'll get to join an exclusive club where you'll be the only man. You'll be surrounded by females… Can't beat that."

Larry pulls the duct tape off Danny's mouth.

"HELP!" Danny yells as loud as he can.

"Yes… HELP!" Larry shouts with him.

Larry grabs Danny's face with his free hand and begins pushing the knife closer to his left eye.

"Don't worry Danny… This will definitely hurt."

Larry pushes the tip of the knife into the side of Danny's left eye in order to cut it out. Danny begins screaming in agony but Larry just continues to gouge his left eye out of his head.


	3. Chapter 3

**Sunday**

**Chapter 3**

Sunday evening Tony gets back to his apartment. He opens the door and walks in. After closing the door and locking it, he walks toward the kitchen where Jamie hands him a soda.

"A package was left at the door a couple hours ago." Jamie stated. "It's on the table in the TV room."

Tony slowly walks toward the TV room. His heart begins pounding as he sees the package on the table. Tony walks to the couch, sits down and just stares at the familiar packaging. Jamie walks into the TV room in order to talk to Tony.

"Tony, we really need to talk." Jamie said.

"What's there to talk about?" Tony asked.

"The fact that there's obviously something wrong with you… Not that there's anything wrong with you… What I meant was… There's obviously something that's been bothering you the passed three weeks. And I'm not the only one to notice this behavior."

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"You tell me everything. Why won't you tell me what's bothering you?"

"It's not something I care to talk to you about."

"Well I love you Tony and I hate seeing you like this. You're distracted at work and you've become emotionally cut off. Please talk to me."

There's a moment of silence.

"Look at me when I'm talking to you! Will you stop staring at that stupid package?!"

Jamie walks over and tries to grab the package.

"What's in this stupid thing anyway?" Jamie asked.

"No!" Tony grabs her hands.

Jamie tries pulling away as Tony is slightly hurting her.

"Tony! You're hurting me! Let go!"

Tony lets her hands go as he didn't realize he's holding her too tightly. Jamie backs up a bit, away from Tony.

"What the hell is wrong with you?!" Jamie exclaimed.

"I didn't realize I was hurting you." Tony said.

"It's not so much the hurting me… But that's the first time you've touched me in three weeks. What's happening to you? Why won't you talk to me?"

Tony tilts his head to the left in order to look at Jamie.

"Maybe it would better if you just went home." Tony said.

"I'm not leaving." Jamie stated.

"I just wanna be alone. I need time to think things over."

"I know you don't wanna be alone, so let me be here for you."

Tony turns his head to look back at the package.

"Maybe I don't want you here anymore." Tony stated.

"You don't mean that." Jamie said.

"What makes you think I don't?"

"Cuz you love me."

There's a moment of silence. As Tony keeps staring at the package, Jamie looks at his facial expression in order to see his reaction to what she just said.

"You do still love me… Right?" Jamie asked.

Tony turns his head to look at Jamie.

"Just leave." Tony said.

Jamie's eyes begin gathering some tears and she tries so hard to not start crying. Tony tries hard to not show emotion as he looks at her.

"If I walk out that door, I'm not coming back." Jamie stated. "So the question is; do you love me?"

"Go home Jamie." Tony said.

"Do you love me? Yes or no?!"

"No…" Tony shakes his head.

"You don't mean that." Jamie begins to cry.

"What part of me not loving you anymore and wanting you to leave, do you not understand?!"

Jamie takes the engagement ring off her finger. She walks closer and places it on the table next to the package. She walks away, grabs a couple things and leaves the apartment. Tony does nothing to stop her.

After the door slams leaving Tony all alone, he looks to the package. He begins to unwrap and open it. After opening the package, he lifts the note off the top ice pack. The note, which is written in blood, reads; The Game Continues… It's all in the Eyes… Welcome to My Sickness. He lifts the top ice pack to reveal the pair of eyes. Tony grabs the engagement ring and tries hard not to cry.

After 35 minutes, Jamie returns home, to her father's house. Gibbs is in the basement working on the boat. Jamie walks to the basement and stands in the doorway where she sees her father near the boat. Gibbs stops what he's doing, turns his head and looks up at Jamie as she's walking down the stairs. He notices she's crying.

"Daddy…" Jamie tries to address him in order to tell him what happened, but she's too choked up to say anything more.

Jamie sits at the bottom of the stairs, places her face in her hands and begins crying hysterically. Gibbs quickly walks over to her. He sits next to her. Gibbs wraps his arms around Jamie in order to comfort her as she keeps crying.


	4. Chapter 4

**Monday**

**Chapter 4**

It's Monday morning, around the start of work time. Tony has been sitting at his desk for the passed three hours, staring at a picture of him and Jamie together. Ziva and McGee step off the elevator together, as they've been car-pooling the passed couple of weeks. They both walk into the work area and notice Tony just staring at a picture.

"Tony… Are you alright?" Ziva asked.

"Not really."

"You wanna talk about it?" McGee asked.

"There's nothing to talk about."

"You know what, this has gone on long enough… What the hell is bothering you?" Ziva asked.

Suddenly, Gibbs steps off the elevator. He stands there for a couple seconds glaring at Tony who notices and just looks down as he's ashamed of what he did. Gibbs walks over.

"Both of you go to your desks." Gibbs addresses Ziva and McGee.

Ziva and McGee walk to their desks and sit down. Gibbs walks around Tony's desk and grabs his shoulder. He hoists him up and drags him to the interrogation room. Once in the interrogation room, Gibbs slams the door and shoves Tony against the wall. With both hands he goes to grab Tony, he crosses his hands and grips onto his shirt, holding the cross of his hands against Tony's neck. They stare each other in the eyes.

"Give me one good reason why I shouldn't break your fingers for a second time?!" Gibbs stated in anger.

"Larry Dermont…" Tony responded.

Gibbs immediately calms down and lets Tony go.

"That's what the phone-call was about three weeks ago?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes." Tony answered.

"You didn't dump Jamie cuz you don't love her… You dumped her cuz you do. Why didn't you come to me?"

"I don't know. The day of the phone-call every memory of what Larry did all hit me like a ton of bricks. I've been disoriented, distracted and didn't know what to do. I know I should've come to you. And what I did last night…"

"You really hurt her."

"That's not what I wanted… It's just… When Larry started sending me eyes, it was always…" Tony begins getting choked up and tries to not show emotion.

"He started killing the women you dated."

"He killed 19 women I dated in Baltimore. And he always sent me their eyes. Do you have any idea how long it took for me to push that entire case to the back of my mind?"

"I can only imagine. And I know how that case affected your job to the point where you eventually got fired."

"The passed three weeks all of it has been haunting me. It's the same haunting feeling I had back then. And I don't want him going after Jamie. But I know I fucked up by not coming to you and I hurt Jamie in the process."

Tony sits in the chair and busts out in tears when he really didn't want to. Gibbs drags a chair over and sits next to him.

"I love her… And hurting her… The one thing I never wanted to do… Is what I did last night." Tony wipes a couple tears away. "I wish I wasn't getting this way in front of you."

"Showing emotions isn't a bad thing. And don't worry… What happens here stays between us, so if you need to cry, then do so. I won't think any less of you." Gibbs said.

"Danny hasn't been at work since Wednesday."

"Your old partner."

"Yeah… When I got home last night, there was a package waiting for me. He sent me eyes again. And I'm willing to take a bet those eyes belong to Danny."

"Where are the eyes now?"

"I brought them down to Autopsy and I brought the blood note to Abby's lab. I've been here for the passed three hours staring at a picture of me and Jamie together."

Tony keeps wiping a couple tears away and tries to not look at Gibbs as he's somewhat embarrassed about his emotional state.

"I miss Jamie so much." Tony stated.

Tony starts leaning to the side, toward Gibbs. Without hesitation, Gibbs wraps his right arm around Tony. Tony's face finally plummets into Gibbs chest as he continues crying.

"Just let it all out Tony." Gibbs said.

"Oh God… What have I done?" Tony stated. "I want Jamie back. I miss her so badly."

"We'll get this fixed."

"How?"

Gibbs stands up and Tony leans back a bit.

"Do you love Jamie?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes, I do." Tony said as he looks upward at Gibbs.

"Then let's find those bodies and put Larry where he belongs."

Gibbs extends his hand toward Tony. Tony looks at Gibbs' hand for a couple seconds. Then he places his hand in Gibbs's hand. Gibbs helps Tony to his feet.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After telling the team what the case they'll be working on and contacting the Chief of Police in Baltimore to request taking over the investigation, Gibbs and Tony go down to the Forensics Lab. Abby and her temp assistant Jamie are in the lab doing some work. Gibbs and Tony enter into the lab. Jamie immediately turns in her stool so she doesn't have to see Tony.

"What do you got for me Abs?" Gibbs asked.

"Besides a sleep disorder due to Tony bringing me in three hours earlier to work?" Abby asked.

"Yes, besides that."

Tony walks closer to Jamie and tries to put his hand on her arm to get her attention.

"Jamie, I…" Tony begins to say.

"Don't touch me!" Jamie immediately smacks Tony's hand.

"I'm…"

"You're sorry? Do I look like I'm gonna care about you being sorry? You did what did… So deal with it and leave me alone!"

Abby and Gibbs just look over with not knowing what to do or say. Tony steps away from Jamie and just looks down because he's sad. Jamie looks toward her father.

"You knew I was gonna be today, so why'd you bring his sorry ass down here?" Jamie asked.

"Uh… Actually… I told you to take today off and you said you would. So I wasn't expecting you to be…" Gibbs said.

"I wasn't gonna let…" Jamie begins to say before stopping herself because she knows Tony is in the room. "I'm completely fine. I don't need, nor do I want him in my life. I'm much better off and happier without him. Last night made me realize I never loved him in the first place. Tony's a jerk and always will be."

Tony feels like crying from these harsh words.

"I'm… Gonna go upstairs." Tony said.

As Tony walks away, Jamie can't help but turn and watch him as he walks out the door. After Tony leaving her sight, she turns to Abby and Gibbs.

"You shouldn't have done that." Gibbs stated.

"He deserved it." Jamie answered.

"But it made you feel crappy, didn't it?"

"Yeah…" Jamie said in a sad voice.

"You have a good heart, so you're not a mean person."

"Why did you have to bring him down here?" Jamie asked as she now looks sad.

"I should've realized you'd still come in today, so I'm sorry." Gibbs steps over and kisses her on the forehead.

They both look at Abby who is just standing there not knowing what to do or say.

"Talk about feeling like I don't exist in the room." Abby joked.

"Dad, did you hear something?" Jamie asked.

"I think it was just the wind." Gibbs replied.

"Don't you even dare suggest I'm just full of hot air!" Abby exclaimed.

"I swear it sounds like a female voice." Jamie stated. "Don't you hear it?"

"Is someone else in the room?" Gibbs asked. "Cuz I don't see anybody besides you and me."

"Argh! Why am I playing this game!" Abby exclaimed.

"Cuz it's a fun game." Jamie sticks her tongue out at Abby.

Ducky walks into the room.

"Jethro, I thought I'd find you here." Ducky said.

"What do you got Ducky?" Gibbs asked.

"The eyes that were sent to Tony…" Ducky begins to say.

"Wait… What do you mean eyes!" Jamie exclaimed.

"She doesn't know?" Ducky asked.

"Know what! What's going on here?" Jamie asked.

"The package that was sent to Tony contained a pair of human eyes…" Gibbs begins to say.

"The DNA test confirms the eyes belong to Danny. And the blood on the note is also Danny's." Abby added.

"Who's Danny?" Jamie asked.

"Danny used to be Tony's old partner when he worked in Baltimore." Gibbs stated.

"Should we continue this conversation with Jamie being here?" Ducky asked.

"She needs to hear about it sooner or later." Gibbs said.

Jamie just looks perplexed from where this conversation has gone.

"I carefully looked over all Autopsy notes of the eyes that were sent to Tony before…"

"Other eyes were sent to Tony!" Jamie exclaimed.

"Continue Ducky." Gibbs said.

"All of the victims were alive when their eyes were gouged out. The eyes were obviously not extracted by a surgeon. But the skill of the extraction appeared to get better as the victims became more and more. Practice makes perfect." Ducky said. "Once the eyes started to be sent to Tony, there were a lot less mistakes involved. Now… Only the eyes are always slightly enlarged due to being soaked in type of watery substance. All Autopsy notes suggest the eyes absorbed water with a high concentration of Zinc."

"And I confirmed that the watery substance in this recent pair of eyes is just fresh water that has a high concentration of Zinc in it." Abby added. "The Zinc appears to be in its purest form."

"Can someone tell me what's going on here!" Jamie exclaimed.

"When Tony worked in Baltimore, he was working a case where a pair of eyes was left for the families of the victims. Eventually, the serial killer wanted to play a game with Tony by sending him the eyes of girls he dated. And it became too much for him to handle…" Gibbs started explaining.

"Oh my God…" Jamie sighed in shock.

"The bodies were never found. The killer went to jail for drug and weapon possession, but the murders were never able to be pinned on him. So the murder charges were dismissed and never even presented in court due to lack of evidence to link him to any murder. The man's name is Larry and he was recently released from prison." Gibbs stated.

"And he wants to continue the game?" Jamie asked.

"Yes..." Gibbs answered.

"I need to talk to Tony." Jamie said.

Jamie stands up and tries to walk away. Gibbs grabs her by wrapping his arm around her. Jamie struggles to get away.

"Let go… I need to talk to Tony. I can't leave it like I did. I didn't mean it. I need to tell him I love him." Jamie said.

"Sweetie… Hold off on talking to him until I get the situation under control. Cuz right now he's too vulnerable and not in the right mental state for much of what's going on." Gibbs stated as she begins to calm down in his arm. "Tony had a complete breakdown a long time ago because of this case. In order for him to move forward, he needs to let go of the past. He needs to forgive himself for what happened. But the only way he can do that, is if you're safe and we find those bodies."

Jamie moves to look at her father. She looks him in the eyes. Gibbs places his hands on Jamie's cheeks and looks into her tear-filled eyes.

"I want him back… Please." Jamie said.

"The Tony you know… You'll have him back soon… I promise." Gibbs said. "But I need you to do something for me."

"What?"

"I need you to stay with Abby until we catch this guy. Can you do that for me?"

"Yes."

Gibbs leans forward and kisses Jamie on the forehead. He then walks away and out of the room.

"Your father will make everything better, my dear." Ducky said. "A father will do anything for the love of his daughter. Your happiness means the world to Jethro. He'll bring Tony back."

"I know." Jamie said as she looks toward the empty doorway.

Ducky leaves the Forensics Lab. Abby and Jamie go back to work on a couple other samples in the hopes of getting Jamie's mind off the whole thing.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

Gibbs and Tony leave the NCIS building in order to make their way to Baltimore. Once in Baltimore, they're sitting in the car outside Larry Dermont's apartment and are waiting for him to come out. Gibbs notices Tony is anxious and slightly depressed and just staring down at his empty hands.

"You've been awfully quiet the entire ride. I know you're hurting right now Tony, but you need to be focused on this." Gibbs stated.

"What's the point? This guy will do anything to ruin my life. And he's doing a good job at it. I lost Jamie… And I'm starting to lose my mind." Tony said.

"You didn't lose Jamie."

"You heard what she said. Didn't you hear my heart breaking into a million pieces?"

"I'm sure she didn't mean what she said. And once this thing is taken care of, just talk to her. She'll understand."

"I wish it was that easy. But this case will never be over. It'll haunt me til the end."

Gibbs smacks Tony on the back of the head. Tony turns his head to look at Gibbs.

"What was that for?!" Tony exclaimed.

"You remember when we first met?" Gibbs asked.

"Oh God… Don't remind me." Tony puts his hand on his face in embarrassment.

"You spilled my coffee cuz your eyes were fixated on the girl across the street. I wanted to smack you so badly right then and there."

"That was kinda funny, wasn't it?" Tony laughs.

"It was even funnier when we were in the kitchen area at the police station and you didn't even bother asking my name."

"You have to admit… What a great first impression I made that day."

"If anyone asks me if I ever experienced a complete disaster… I'd be able to say I survived one."

"It wasn't that bad."

Tony looks at the expression on Gibbs' face.

"Ok… Maybe it was." Tony corrects himself.

"Whatever happened to hating Federal agents?" Gibbs asked. "Look what you are now."

"I only said yes cuz you… Umm…"

"One, you were looking for a new job… But mainly, cuz when we were in the Navy Yard, once again, your eyes were fixated on a girl and you had no idea what I was actually saying when you said, yes."

"If I didn't mean yes, then why did I show up for work the next day?"

"And what was the first thing you did when you showed up for work?"

Tony remains quiet and tries to hold his laughter in.

"Exactly." Gibbs said in order to comment on remembering the reason.

"That was the first time you smacked the back of my head." Tony laughs.

"And you really had no idea what you were getting yourself into with this job."

"At least it turned out much better then I thought."

"Don't forget to add the fact that you actually kept this job longer then all of your previous jobs."

"True… Though, you can always fire me… Again."

"Five weeks after hiring you, I should've fired you after that first incident."

"I almost completely forgot about that. Now talk about embarrassing… Well… For you, not me."

"You were standing on top of your desk pretending to be a stripper."

Tony laughs.

"At the time, how on earth did you explain that to the director?" Tony asked.

"You don't wanna know." Gibbs said.

"Seriously, I do. What'd you say?"

"I told the director you were practicing for undercover work as a male stripper."

"What'd the director say about that explanation?"

"That your pole dance could use some work."

Suddenly, Gibbs notices Larry Dermont coming out of the apartment building. He brings it to Tony's attention as Larry walks toward the alley where his car is parked. Gibbs and Tony get out of the car and follow Larry into the alley. As Larry is placing his keys into the door of the car, Gibbs and Tony approach. Larry lifts his head and turns around to address them.

"Welcome home Anthony. How have you been my old friend?" Larry asked.

"I'm not your friend. And don't call me Anthony." Tony stated.

"Then what should I call you? Kermit the Frog?"

"How about you just cut the crap and tell me where the bodies are."

"I would but… I seem to recall not being guilty of murder… And when I think about it, a murder charge was never brought up in court."

"Don't get too comfortable out here, cuz you're gonna be back in prison real soon." Gibbs stated.

"And who are you? Anthony's boyfriend?"

"The only reason those bodies were never found is cuz I wasn't working the case." Gibbs said. "But now I am, so you're screwed."

"Yeah… Good luck with finding the bodies that I have nothing to do with. Well… I shouldn't say that. I should probably reword that to; Good luck trying to find them or any evidence to link me to the disappearance of those women… And also Danny." Larry said. "By the way Anthony… How's Jamie?"

Tony grabs Larry and rams him against the car. He punches Larry in the face. Tony begins pounding on Larry. After a minute, Gibbs immediately grabs Tony and Larry. He holds each of them by the shoulder in order to keep them separated.

"You fucker!" Tony yelled at Larry.

"You mean to tell me you don't like playing my game Anthony?" Larry asked. "And here I thought we were having fun."

"The only fun I'm gonna have is watching your sorry ass being fried in the electric chair!"

"I should have you arrested for assault. I don't need to put up with this abuse of being accused of murder when I'm a rehabilitated man." Larry said. "I see I may need to file a restraining order against you Anthony, cuz I'm in fear for my life right now."

Gibbs looks at Larry.

"If you file a restraining order against him, you might as well add my name." Gibbs stated.

"But you didn't assault me." Larry said.

Gibbs takes his hand off Tony and punches Larry in the stomach. Larry drops to the ground and gasps for breath while laughing evilly. Gibbs leans down and grabs Larry by the hair and forces him to look up.

"I'm gonna personally dig your grave and bury you." Gibbs said in a strong firm voice. "You think this is all fun n games... Well I got news for you Larry… I'm the new player and I don't play fair."

Gibbs and Tony walk away, leaving Larry gasping for breath on the ground. Larry just smiles in an evil manner.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Gibbs and Tony are back at the NCIS building. The team is at the work area trying to figure out where Larry may have stashed the bodies. Each of the team members are sitting at their own desk.

"Tony… Do you know why Larry started this game with you?" Ziva asked.

"It's kinda weird that he did, considering the victims appeared to be random when he began his killing spree." McGee stated.

"I honestly don't know." Tony said.

"I think you do know." Gibbs stated.

"The man is a psychopath… How would I know?!"

"Maybe you came close to something." Ziva said.

"No solid evidence was ever found to link him to any of the murders."

"But he chose to play a game with you, so there must be a reason." McGee said.

"Maybe he just wanted to piss me off."

"Or taunt you." Gibbs added.

"I can see the taunting me cuz I never really found anything."

"What if it's not so much the fact that you couldn't find solid evidence? What if it was more for the fact that you were close to finding the bodies?" Ziva asked.

"How do you mean?"

"From the day we first met to the first day you received a pair of eyes, between that time what did you do differently?" Gibbs asked.

"I had this stupid idea… Since the eyes were soaked in Zinc, that maybe it had something to do with a Zinc mine."

"That doesn't sound like a stupid idea." McGee stated.

"It's a stupid idea when you gather a team and search all Zinc mines within the surrounding states and come up with nothing."

"You checked the perimeter of the Zinc mines?" Ziva asked.

"Yes. And still nothing. No signs of anything that pertains to the case."

"That's what you did differently between those two times?" Gibbs asked.

"Yes!"

"How many Zinc mines were searched during that time?" McGee asked.

"Three."

"Where were those three located?" Ziva asked.

"They're in Lower Pennsylvania, around the area where Larry was born and raised."

Suddenly, Jamie steps off the elevator. She walks toward the work area where the team is.

"It's possible that…" McGee begins to say.

"Look… The mines were checked! The perimeter was checked! There were no signs of anything. No blood. No clothing. Nothing! Those mines are completely deserted!" Tony exclaims.

Tony then notices Jamie walking over. He immediately becomes sad and begins gathering a couple of his things.

"Don't worry Jamie; I'm going to the lounge." Tony stated.

Before Jamie could even open her mouth to say something, Tony was already on his way to the lounge. Jamie walks to her father and stands in front of his desk.

"Any luck yet?" Jamie asked.

"I think we have something, but I'm not exactly sure." Gibbs said.

"I was thinking about this whole situation and I wanna help. Use me as bait."

"No! Absolutely not."

"I have several GPS locators on me, so why not? You'll always know where he takes me."

"There's no chance in hell I would put you in a situation like this. It's great that you wanna help, but using you as bait isn't a good idea."

"I agree, definitely not a good idea." McGee stated.

"Besides, what if Larry decides the kill you the exact minute he gets hold of you?" Ziva asked.

"Three to one. We win. You're staying here." Gibbs said.

"I want Tony back. So how close is this to being over?" Jamie asked.

"We just got done probing his mind a bit…" Ziva begins to say.

"And?" Jamie asked.

"Something seems to be rather odd about how this whole thing started." McGee added.

"We think Tony may have been close to finding the bodies, so Larry began to taunt him. And it's possible that the taunting was to throw him off his game." Gibbs stated.

"What did you get out of him?" Jamie asked.

"He searched the inside and the perimeter of three Zinc mines before pairs of eyes started to be sent to him." Ziva said.

"But no evidence was ever found. Nor was any evidence found at the other Zinc mines." McGee said.

"What do you think Dad?" Jamie asked her father.

"I think this game has something to do with one of those three Zinc mines. I think Tony was close to finding the bodies, but he just doesn't know it." Gibbs stated.

"But if no evidence was found in or near the mines, then how can it have anything to with the location of the bodies?" McGee asked.

"Wait… The eyes were soaked in water that had a high concentration of Zinc. It's possible that one of those Zinc mines runs along an underground river." Jamie said.

"That's genius!" Gibbs exclaimed. "McGee, find out if any of those Zinc mines have an underground river…"

"On it Boss!" McGee gets to work on looking up the Zinc mines.

Gibbs looks to Jamie.

"I didn't even get to finish my sentence." Gibbs said. "What made you think of that underground river stuff?"

"Don't know. It just popped into my head." Jamie said.

"I'm surprised I didn't think of it. If an underground river does run alongside one of these Zinc mines, then it could bring Zinc-filled water pretty far away from the mine itself."

"And maybe there's a cave somewhere that exposes that underground river."

"It's a long shot, but hopefully…"

"Boss! One of the Zinc mines was closed due to the flooding caused by an underground river!"

Gibbs immediately stands up.

"Then that's the one where we need to figure out where the river goes to." Gibbs stated. He looks to Jamie. "You just solved this case." He walks around the desk and kisses Jamie on the forehead.

Jamie smiles as the team is preparing the leave. Ziva and McGee go to the elevator while Gibbs walks to the lounge to get Tony.


	8. Chapter 8

**Tuesday**

**Chapter 8**

After talking with a Geologist at the closest University all night, the team is now in Lower Pennsylvania at the Zinc mine where the underground river is. They search the perimeter a bit as Gibbs walks off to the edge of the hill so that he can look out over the valley. Ziva and McGee walk to where Gibbs is standing. Tony just sits on the rock close to the mine's entrance.

"See anything?" McGee asked.

"Do you two see that way over there?" Gibbs asked as he points off in the distance.

"It looks like a clearing. Possibly a house is there." Ziva stated.

"The Geologist said to look for a clearing cuz plants don't have much chance of survival in soil that's rich with Zinc." Gibbs said.

"What about that clearing over there?" McGee asked has he pointed somewhere else.

Tony finally walks over to the team. As soon as Tony walked over, they hear the motor from a dirt-bike. A man on the dirt-bike stops in front of the Zinc mine. He walks over to the mine while holding a bag over his shoulder. The team watches and finally makes a move on the person. The man is trying to move a loose wooden board from the mine entrance. The team surrounds the man.

"I don't think it's open for business." Ziva stated.

Geez! Don't sneak up on a man like that." The man said as he was slightly startled.

"Who are you? You from around here?" Gibbs asked.

"My name is Mark. I live a couple miles from here." Mark said.

"What's in the bag?" McGee asked.

"It's my dead cat."

"Why are you bringing your dead cat here?" Tony asked.

"I'd prefer to not use the dumping cave. What does it matter? Am I gonna be fined? Cuz this Zinc mine hasn't been operational in a couple decades. And what are you people doing here?"

"We're students at the University of Maryland and we're studying the effects of Zinc on the surrounding environment." Gibbs stated.

"Oh… Well, as you can see the plant life around the mine itself basically doesn't exist. But I'm guessing when the mine first started, it destroyed the plant roots."

"We're more interested in knowing about the underground river." McGee said.

"No one really knows where the river goes cuz after the cave-in occurred, the mine was closed. The area was pretty much forgotten."

"We're interested." Ziva said.

"All I really know is that this is a Zinc mine."

"Did you know it's hard for plants to survive in soil that's rich with Zinc?" Gibbs asked.

"That would explain the lack of plants in the immediate area."

"Where'd you go to school Mark?" Tony asked.

"I go to Marywood University. It's in Scranton Pennsylvania. Why?"

"Just wondering." Tony said.

"I know a lot of people in Pennsylvania, mostly high school students from the middle of nowhere don't end up going to college. So I'm not an uneducated Pennsylvania fool if that's what you were thinking."

"You mentioned a dumping cave. What is that exactly?" Ziva asked.

"Follow me." Mark said as he leads the team to the edge of the hill in order to look out.

Mark points to the small clearing that McGee pointed to a little while ago.

"That's the dumping cave. When dead animals are scrapped off the road or pets die, most people toss the dead animals into that cave." Mark stated.

"Why aren't you dumping your cat there?" McGee asked.

"When I was younger, I brought my dog to the dumping cave. I was really choked about losing him, so as I was about to toss him in there, I slipped and fell in. It's not a pretty site down there. And ever since that day, I can't bring myself to get near it. So that's why I brought my cat here."

"Do you think a person could've stashed bodies down there?" Tony asked.

"It's possible. I was the only one who was ever down there but that's was only cuz I slipped. But with the stench of the dead animals… I wouldn't be surprised." Mark stated. "Wait… Why are you interested in dead bodies?"

"I only came for moral support. I'm a Criminal Justice major." Tony said.

"Oh… Well… If you ever come across a case where bodies are missing, I'd suggest checking out the dumping cave."

"The underground river that runs along the Zinc of this mine, did you happen to notice it running through the dumping cave?"

"Now that you mention it… Actually, the dumping cave is much larger then one would think. Since I had time to explore it a bit, toward the back the cave slants downward, like a little pathway. It was quite dark. But I did feel around a bit and came across a pool of water. I could also hear the faint sounds of running water behind the rocks. It definitely sounded like it kept going, like it didn't stop there."

"What's that other clearing much further away? If it's just a house, then we'd waste our time going there to take soil samples." Gibbs asked as he pointed off in the distance.

"That's just empty land. No house has ever been there."

"So most likely, the ending of the underground river goes to that clearing, so it's not habitable enough for plant life due to a high concentration of Zinc." McGee stated.

"And at least we now know the route the underground river takes in order to get from the Zinc mine to the clearing." Gibbs said.

"Are you actually gonna go into the dumping cave to study that pool of water?" Mark asked.

"Yes." Gibbs answered.

"Can you do me a favor? Can you bring my cat there?" Mark holds the bag out for one of the team to grab.

"You helped us out, so we'd be happy to." Gibbs stated. "McGee, take the bag from our friend."

McGee hesitantly takes the bag and holds it away from him as far as he could.

"Thank you all so much." Mark said.

"It's our… Pleasure." McGee stated as he looks at the bag in disgust.

Mark walks to his dirt-bike. He gets on and starts the motor. He turns the bike and jets down the road.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

The team has finally driven to the dumping cave in order to search it for possible dead bodies. They get out of the car and begin walking toward the dumping cave. As they get closer and closer to the cave, the foul stench begins slowly creeping into their noses. They're now standing next to the underground cave. At what they're smelling each of them makes a facial expression of disgust. McGee immediately holds his hand over his mouth and runs to the side in order to vomit.

"I've never smelled something so bad before." Ziva said.

"Are you serious about us going in there?" Tony asked.

"Not us... If there are any bodies down there, I don't want you to see them. So you and McGee stay up here." Gibbs said. "Me and Ziva are going down."

"I'm all for helping Tony… But that stench is just too overwhelming." Ziva stated.

Gibbs glares at Ziva.

"But, I have absolutely no problem going down." Ziva adds to her previous comment.

"McGee!" Gibbs exclaimed to get his attention.

"Yeah Boss?"

"Get the rope and flashlights from the trunk."

"On it."

After about two minutes McGee walks over with holding the rope and flashlights. As he hands the flashlights to Tony, who was the furthest away from the dumping cave, he felt like puking again. He drops the rope and puts his hand over his mouth and runs off to the side again. Tony looks at Gibbs as he hands him the flashlights.

"Are you sure you don't wanna take him with you?" Tony asked. "It might be good for him."

Gibbs looks over at McGee who is puking behind a bush.

"I'm positive I don't wanna take him down there." Gibbs said. "Tie the end of this rope to the tree over there." Gibbs points to the tree.

Gibbs hands a flashlight to Ziva as Tony walks over to the tree and ties the rope around it tightly. After the rope is securely fastened to the tree, Gibbs tosses the other end down into the dumping cave. Gibbs grabs hold of the rope and begins to descend into the cave. Ziva grabs hold of the rope. Tony waves as Ziva is about to descend into the cave as well. Ziva looks at Tony like she's going to kick the crap out of him once she gets out.

Inside the cave, with both Gibbs and Ziva at the bottom, they turn their flashlights on. There are dead animal bodies all over the cave. Since this has been a dumping place for a long time, they see animal bones toward the sides. More toward the entrance is a huge pile of dead animals that are just rotting. The smell of the dead carcasses overwhelms both of them.

"And I thought the smell wouldn't get any worse." Ziva stated.

"It's not that bad." Gibbs said.

"Are you kidding me!"

"Actually… I'm just trying to remain positive about it." Gibbs stated. "This is the worst smell I've ever encountered."

"Can we please just hurry up cuz I don't think I can bare this stench for too long."

"Mark said the pool of water is toward the back."

They notice a rat running around close to them.

"I can't stand rats. They're such horrid little creatures." Ziva said.

"I think you have a secret admirer." Gibbs stated.

"I don't like secret admirers, so this is what I do to them." Ziva kicks the rat to the side.

Gibbs and Ziva begin walking to the back of the cave. They notice, toward the back, the cave begins to slant downward a bit. They walk down the narrow pathway of the cave. Gibbs starts to hear the faint sound of running water.

"Shh… Do you hear that?" Gibbs asked.

"I can't get over the stench, so don't expect my ears to work." Ziva said.

Gibbs points his flashlight around until the light shines unto a pool of water. Gibbs and Ziva walk down to the water. Around the pool of water, they see a couple dead bodies. The corpses that have been there for years are practically just bones. The only recent human body is that of Tony's old partner Danny.

Meanwhile, on the outside of the cave, McGee is sitting on a rock away from the cave entrance. Tony walks over to McGee and stands close-by.

"When we were at that Zinc mine, you know what it reminded me of?" Tony asked.

"Please Tony… I'm not in the mood for movie references right now." McGee stated.

"Actually, what I was gonna say isn't so much a movie reference, but it does deal with a location in the movie."

"Spare me the…"

"You ever see the movie, Zoolander?"

McGee rolls eyes and decides to play along.

"It's a pretty stupid movie if you ask me." McGee said.

"It was kinda ridiculous. I mean… A movie about male models, Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, who obviously couldn't pass as real male models to begin with, was a truly ridiculous movie."

"Then why do you wanna start a movie reference if you thought the movie was ridiculous?"

"Ben Stiller plays the role of Derek Zoolander and Owen Wilson plays the role of Hansel, a rival male model…"

McGee's head falls into his hands.

"Anyway… Jon Voight, who plays Larry Zoolander, Derek's father… And Judah Friedlander, who plays Scrappy Zoolander, Derek's brother… They both work at a Coal mine in New Jersey…"

"Wait… What does a Coal mine have to do with a Zinc mine?"

"I was just getting to that McGeek… Let me finish."

"Oh please… Continue." McGee said sarcastically.

"The location of that specific mine the father and brother work at, isn't actually a Coal mine. The location is the Sterling Hills Mine in Ogdensburg, New Jersey. It's actually a Zinc mine and has no Coal in it at all. But they used it as a Coal mine for the movie."

"Huh… That actually is rather interesting."

Suddenly, a steel pipe is bashed against the back of Tony's head. As Tony falls to the ground, McGee turns and tries to stand. McGee reaches for his gun, but before he could pull it out fully, he's shot with a tazer gun. While McGee is being electrocuted, his gun drops, Tony's unconscious body finally lands on the ground. McGee also falls to the ground. The tazer gun is finally shut off. McGee is lying on the ground, looking at Tony's unconscious body. The man, who attacked them, lifts Tony's unconscious body over his shoulder. McGee lies there on the ground helplessly as the man walks away with Tony over his shoulder.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

**Author's Note:** The information about Sterling Hills Mine being the location of where the father and brother work in the movie Zoolander, is true. When I went there for a field trip with my Mineralogy class, our tour guide was telling us about it.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10**

After a while of not being able to move much, McGee slowly crawled to the entrance of the cave. Because of the overwhelming stench, he felt like vomiting but he knew he had to get help.

"Gibbs!" McGee yells down into the cave.

The sound echoes in the cave and Gibbs hears it immediately.

"McGee's in trouble." Gibbs stated as he begins running back to the entrance.

"How can you tell?!" Ziva exclaimed as she's following Gibbs.

"McGee never calls me Gibbs… He always calls me Boss… So I know he's in trouble." Gibbs said.

Gibbs and Ziva finally reach the cave entrance. Gibbs grabs hold of the rope and begins to climb up in order to get out of the cave. Ziva does the same. Gibbs runs to McGee who rolled off to the side a bit after seeing him at the bottom of the cave.

"Where's Tony?!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"Larry took him… I'm sorry Boss." McGee said.

"Where did he go?"

"He shot me with a tazer, so I couldn't follow." McGee stated. "He walked in that direction, probably to his own car." He points in the direction.

Gibbs helps McGee to stand. He then helps him to the car and puts him in the back seat. Ziva gets in the front seat as Gibbs gets in the driver's seat. Gibbs starts the car and presses on the gas pedal. The car speeds down the dirt road in order to get to the main road. Gibbs looks left and then right as he can't decide which direction Larry might have went in.

"McGee… Do you have any idea which way he might have gone?" Gibbs asked.

"I have no idea." McGee answered.

Gibbs immediately pulls out his cell-phone in order to call Abby to see if any evidence can point them in the right direction. Gibbs hits the, number one which has always been set for Abby with speed-dial. He presses send, but the call doesn't go through because there's no clear signal to get cell-phone reception.

"Fuck!" Gibbs throws the cell-phone down.

"Which way are we gonna go?" Ziva asked.

"What's the closest place to get to a phone?!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"There was a house a couple miles down the road in that direction." McGee stated as he points in the direction to the left.

Gibbs immediately presses on the gas pedal and speeds down the road toward the house McGee mentioned. Upon reaching the house, Gibbs gets out of the car and runs to the front door of the house. He rings the doorbell and begins knocking on the door. After realizing no one is home, he uses his elbow to break the glass of the front door. He reaches inside and unlocks the door. Gibbs opens the door and walks in. McGee and Ziva look at each other.

"I would normally say breaking and entering is illegal… But I've been on this team long enough to realize no one seems to care." McGee stated.

Ziva shrugs her shoulders and walks in and McGee follows. Gibbs is at the home-phone dialing Abby's number. Abby is at the Forensics Lab with Jamie, so she answers by putting him on speaker-phone, but not exactly knowing who is calling.

"You've reached Abby's house of nymphomaniacs, where your fetish is our hinky pleasure. How may we assist you?" Abby stated.

"Is that how you answer the phone?!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"Oh… Hey Gibbs." Abby greeted him.

"Hey Dad." Jamie greets her father.

"I need to know if any evidence gives you any indication where Larry brings the victims in order to take their eyes out… And I need to know now!" Gibbs said quickly.

"There's nothing in the evidence that indicates a location." Abby said. "Why do you ask?"

"Cuz Larry has Tony!" Gibbs exclaimed.

"Daddy!" Jamie tries to get his attention.

"Yes?" Gibbs asked.

"The GPS locators you have me wear, I stashed one of them in Tony's jacket cuz I was afraid he might try going off by himself to go kill Larry." Jamie stated quickly.

Gibbs looks to Ziva and McGee.

"Tony has a GPS locator on him… Get on the computer in the car and find his location." Gibbs stated.

"On it Boss." McGee said.

Ziva and McGee run out of the house in order to go to the car. Gibbs goes back to the phone.

"Dad?" Jamie tries getting his attention.

"Yes?" Gibbs asked.

"Bring my Tony back unharmed."

"I will."

"I love you Dad."

"I love you too."

"Where's my love?!" Abby exclaimed. "I exist you know."

"Love you too Abs." Gibbs stated.

"Love ya Gibby-Bear."

Gibbs puts the phone down and runs out the door. In the Forensic Lab, Jamie looks at Abby.

"Gibby-Bear?!?!" Jamie asked with a confused look upon her face.

"Oh… I said that out loud?" Abby asked.

"Yeah…" Jamie responded. "You care to explain?"

Abby grabs the remote control for the stereo. She presses the on button, hits play and turns up the volume.

"What did you say?!" Abby exclaimed.

"Eventually you're gonna have to tell me what's going on between you and my Dad. You can't avoid it forever." Jamie stated.

"I can't hear you!"

Jamie shakes her head and turns in the other direction. She takes a deep breathe and begins to worry about Tony.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11**

Tony finally awakes inside the abandoned house somewhere in Lower Pennsylvania. He's lying on a table and is tied down to it so he can't move. He also has duct tape over his mouth. Tony turns his head to see Larry standing next to a small table. Larry grabs a knife off the table and turns to Tony as he hears Tony trying to struggle to get free.

"There's no point in struggling Anthony." Larry said.

Larry walks over to Tony. He's holding the knife in his left hand as he approaches the table where Tony lies. Tony continues to struggle. Larry is now standing right next to the table. He slowly peels the duct tape from Tony's mouth.

"Help!!!" Tony exclaimed.

"Haha! No one is ever gonna hear you're screams." Larry said. "Except for me, of course."

Larry slowly lifts the knife up and begins pushing it towards Tony's face. Suddenly, the door to the room swings open. A knife goes flying through the air and penetrates into the wrist of Larry's left arm. He immediately drops his own knife. Larry looks to the door and sees Ziva standing there with her gun pointing at him.

"Gibbs!" Ziva exclaimed to get his attention.

With his right hand, Larry pulls the knife out of his left wrist. He places Ziva's knife on the floor and picks his own up.

"Don't do it! I will shoot!" Ziva exclaimed.

"No you won't… The families of the victims want answers and I'm the only one who has em. You can't shoot me." Larry stated.

Ziva really wanted to shoot him, but Larry is right, the families do want answers and he's the only who has the answers to these horrific crimes. Larry runs to the side and out a side door. Once outside the door, he spots McGee, who also points a gun at him, so Larry runs up the stairs to the second floor of the house. Gibbs finally runs into the room where Ziva is trying to untie Tony.

"It took you all long enough! I was about to become…" Tony begins to say but Ziva placed the duct tape back over his mouth.

Ziva looks at Gibbs.

"He was complaining about being saved." Ziva stated.

"I'd put it back over his mouth too." Gibbs said. "Which way did Larry go?"

"Through that door." Ziva points in the direction.

Gibbs runs to the door where he meets up with McGee by the stairs.

"He went upstairs and this is the only staircase in the entire house." McGee stated.

"Then we have him trapped." Gibbs said.

Gibbs and McGee slowly and cautiously start moving upstairs to find Larry. Once at the top of the stairs, Gibbs and McGee are pointing their guns in all directions. Larry runs across the hallway into the last room that he hasn't checked for an escape route yet. Inside the room, Larry tries to pull the wooden boards away from the window so he can get out. The wooden boards won't budge.

"Shit!" Larry exclaimed.

"There's no place to go Larry." Gibbs said as he and McGee enter into the room.

Larry turns around. Gibbs and McGee are both pointing their guns at him. Finally, Tony and Ziva enter into the room as well. Ziva now points her gun at Larry. Tony and Larry just stare at each other. Larry clings onto his knife. He slowly raises his right hand to show the knife to Tony much better.

"You see this knife Tony… I used it to gouge the eyes out of each victim as I listened to their screams. And you know what… It's the same knife I'll use to gouge the eyes out of Jamie." Larry stated.

"You fuckin piece of shit! I'm gonna kill you!" Tony exclaimed as he tries to advance toward Larry.

As Tony tries to advance to attack Larry, Gibbs grabs him in order to hold him back. Tony struggles to break free from Gibbs, but he won't allow him to get away.

"Calm down!" Gibbs exclaimed as he looks into Tony's eyes. "He wants you to attack him. Don't give him the pleasure." He said softly.

Gibbs lets Tony go. Tony walks toward the back and just paces back and forth a bit. Gibbs looks to Larry.

"You found the bodies… So what?! That doesn't mean anything. I could still get off cuz you actually need to prove that I did it in the first place. How can you connect me to those bodies?" Larry asked. "I bleach the shit out of everything in this house and this knife. I make this place spotless. You won't find a damn thing." He then looks to Tony. "I'm gonna send you Jamie's eyes."

Tony stops and stares at Larry in anger.

"All of you leave the room." Gibbs stated as he looks at Larry. "Now!"

"But…" Ziva begins to say."

"Go! Now!"

Tony, Ziva and McGee leave the room and close the door behind them. They stand outside the door, wondering why Gibbs made them leave the room.

"Look you piece of shit slime-ball mother-fucker… Don't you ever talk about Jamie like that!" Gibbs exclaimed. "You're going to spend the rest of your miserable life in prison, where you belong."

"You must be the father. What makes you so sure I'll spend the rest of my life in jail?" Larry asked. "I will kill her. I'm gonna cut her pretty little eyes out and I'm gonna enjoy every minute of her screaming and begging for mercy. Are you willing to take the chance that I'll go free? So, I'm not worried with having to spend the rest of my life in jail cuz you're not going to let me leave here alive... Do you get what I mean?"

Gibbs, who has his gun still pointing at Larry, finally tosses it into the corner. Larry watches as the gun is tossed.

"What are you doing?!" Larry exclaimed.

"You wanted Tony to attack you… Well… Now, you're just gonna have to deal with me attacking you." Gibbs stated.

"If you think you can take me old man, then the pleasure will be all mine."

Gibbs steps closer to Larry. Larry charges and tries to swing the knife at Gibbs. Gibbs dodges the attack. He grabs Larry's wrist with his left hand. With his right hand, Gibbs punches Larry in the stomach, then uppercuts him in the face. He then bashes his knee against Larry's forearm. Larry drops the knife. Gibbs then grabs Larry and throws him into a cabinet.

Meanwhile, outside of the room, Tony, Ziva and McGee are just talking.

"How did you guys find me?" Tony asked.

"Jamie stashed a GPS locator in your jacket." McGee stated.

"Wait… Why?" Tony asked.

"Why do you think Tony?!" Ziva exclaimed. "She didn't want you going off to kill a man in cold blood."

"She's been worried about you this whole time." McGee said.

There's a moment of silence as Tony realizes Jamie didn't actually mean what she said in the lab the previous day.

"What do you think Gibbs is doing in there?" McGee asked.

They suddenly hear a loud bang on the other side of the door, like a human body was slammed against it.

"It sounds like Gibbs is reading him his rights." Ziva stated.

There's a brief moment of silence between them.

"Did anyone take the bag with the dead cat out of our trunk?" Tony asked to break the silence.

"You mean to tell me neither of you did so while I was in that horribly smelling cave?!" Ziva exclaimed.

"I have an excuse… I was abducted." Tony said. Then he points to McGee. "But he wasn't, so he should've done it."

"I was overwhelmed by the stench! I was vomiting… Then I got shot with a tazer gun!" McGee exclaimed. "Ziva should've done it."

"Did I not mention the fact that I was inside the horribly smelling cave?" Ziva asked.

The three of them look at each other and come to one conclusion.

"Gibbs should've done it." They all said at the same time as they nod their heads.

After a couple more minutes, the door to the room finally opens. Gibbs steps out of the room and the team looks at him.

"He threatened me. It was self-defense." Gibbs stated as he walks away.

Tony, Ziva and McGee all look into the room. They see Larry lying on the floor, all beat-up. He lifts his head off the floor and looks at them.

"I'll go arrest him." Tony said.

Ziva hands him her handcuffs. Tony walks into the room. He steps close to Larry. Tony slaps the handcuffs around Larry's wrists as hard as he could.

"Arh!" Larry screamed.

"I forgot a knife went into your left wrist… Did that hurt?" Tony asked. He then places his hand on the part of the handcuff that's around Larry's left wrist. Tony squeezes it in order to wrap around his wrist as tightly as it can possible go.

"Arh!" Larry screamed again.

"Is that too tight?" Tony asked. "Well that's too damn bad."

Tony forces Larry to stand. He punches Larry in his already bloody face. Then he forces Larry to walk toward the door in order to get him out of there.


	12. Chapter 12

**Saturday**

**Chapter 12**

After the whole ordeal earlier in the week, Tony has taken a couple days off to clear his head of everything. It's early Saturday morning and Tony drives up to Lower Pennsylvania to the dumping cave where bodies were held. Tony has a rose for each of the victims he once dated. One by one, he tosses a rose into the cave. After tossing the last rose into the cave, he cracks a slight smile.

Tony eventually leaves the dumping cave and makes his way to Baltimore. Once in Baltimore, he takes out a sheet of paper with a list of addresses. He makes a couple turns in order to get to the first address. Tony gets out of the car and walks up to the house. He takes a deep breathe, then knocks on the door. A woman opens the door.

"Mrs. Walsh?" Tony asked.

"Yes, I'm Mrs. Walsh." The lady answers.

"My name is Anthony DiNozzo. I used to date your daughter Rebecca." Tony stated. "May I come in?"

"Yes… Please… Come in."

Mrs. Walsh opens the door and Tony walks inside the house.

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Later that night, Gibbs and Jamie are in their basement working on their boat. Tony eventually walks inside the house since he has a key. He walks and inside in the doorway of the basement door. Gibbs looks up as he notices him standing there. He nudges Jamie to get her attention. Jamie looks up to the doorway. Tony and Jamie's eyes meet. They just stand there looking at each other for a minute.

Tony finally walks down the stairs. He's now standing on the other side of the room, at the bottom of the stairs. Tony and Jamie continue to look at each other.

"I'm gonna go upstairs to get some coffee." Gibbs said.

Gibbs walks close to Jamie, gives her a kiss on the forehead then walks to the stairs. Gibbs walks up the stairs in order to leave Tony and Jamie alone so they can talk. As soon as Gibbs gets out of the basement, he stands near the basement doorway and leans against the wall. Tony steps closer to Jamie.

"Jamie… I…" Tony tries to find the words to say.

"Yes?" Jamie wonders.

"I knew this wasn't gonna be easy."

"Just try."

"I pathetically practiced what I would say to you on my car ride back down from Baltimore… And now that I see you… Everything I basically rehearsed so I don't sound like a moron seems to be… Moronish. Is that even a word?" Tony asked. "It doesn't matter."

"Just say what you feel."

Tony looks down for a couple seconds to gather some thoughts. He takes a deep breath then looks up at Jamie. Tony looks her straight in the eyes.

"I was an idiot for what I did. And I'm sorry… I didn't mean or want to hurt you. But I know I did." Tony stated. "I'm so sorry."

"You know…" Jamie begins to say.

"Apologizing is a sign of weakness… I know. But I don't care. Let me be sorry."

"You didn't let me finish."

"Please… Finish.

"What I was gonna say is… In this particular situation, saying sorry isn't a sign of weakness… It's a sign of being human. That's what you are Tony… A human being. You have feelings and emotions just like everybody else." Jamie stated. "I know the whole situation about what happened with that Larry person a long time ago. And I know how it affected you." She said. "You know what hurt me the most… The fact that you wouldn't tell me. I love you Tony. I love you with all my heart and soul. How you pushed me away, I know why you did it… But it's something you never had to do in the first place. I'm always here for you. And always will be. No matter what the situation entails." She said. She starts to get teary-eyed. "Just like you, I know what it's like to have something happen in life that's extremely rough. I know our situations aren't and weren't the same… But I want you to trust me. Trust that I'll love you no matter what you go through or will go through."

"I do trust you." Tony steps closer to Jamie and places his hands into hers.

"I know you just wanted to protect me. But if you're going through some major issues like this, then who is gonna protect you from yourself when all you're gonna do is push me away or clam up and not talk about it with anyone?"

"I know the way I dealt with the situation was really stupid. I know I should've told you what was going on and I know I should've told your Dad."

"You tell me everything. This is the first thing you held back from me."

"I know… And I'm sorry. But I promise you, whatever happens in the future, no matter what situation comes into my life that even remotely shows any signs of possibly screwing me up in some way… I'll come to you first." 'Tony said. "I don't wanna hurt you again. And I certainly don't wanna push you away."

"Nor do I want to be pushed away."

"Can you find it in your heart to forgive me for the way I treated you?"

"Only if you give me my engagement ring back."

"I should do it properly this time."

Tony gets on one knee. He gently takes hold of Jamie's left hand. He reaches into his pocket and takes the engagement ring out. Tony brings the engagement ring close to her ring-finger. He looks up at Jamie and begins to push the ring onto her finger.

"I'm asking for the second time… Will you marry me?" Tony asked.

"Yes… I will." Jamie responded.

Jamie leans down and wraps her arms around Tony's neck. She places her lips on his and they begin kissing.

Gibbs, who is still standing outside the basement door, now has a shocked expression upon his face as he didn't know about the engagement. He leans his head against the wall, takes a deep breath and finally cracks a smile.

"Welcome to the family Tony." Gibbs said softly to himself.

Gibbs smiles and walks away from the basement doorway. He goes to the kitchen in order to get coffee.

Back in the basement, Jamie finally takes her lips off Tony's lips. After taking her lips off Tony's lips, Jamie takes the engagement ring off her finger and puts it in her pocket.

"He still doesn't know?" Tony asked.

"He's still getting used to us." Jamie replied.

There's a minute of silence as Tony and Jamie just stare at each other and smile.

"So… You two are working on the boat tonight?" Tony asked.

"You wanna help?" Jamie asked.

"Would your Dad kill me if I touched it?"

"No I wouldn't DiNozzo." Gibbs said as he's now standing in the doorway to the basement.

"Then sure… I'll help."

Gibbs walks down the stairs and places his coffee on the work-bench. Jamie picks up a sanding block and hands it to Tony. She then places his hand with the sanding block onto the boat. Jamie moves his hand from side to side.

"What you wanna do, is sand with the grain, like this." Jamie continues the side to side motion moving the sanding block with the grain of the wood.

"I think I got a handle on it." Tony said.

Jamie takes her hand off Tony's hand. Tony continues sanding the boat. Jamie and Gibbs both grab a sanding block and also begin sanding the boat as well.

Throughout the entire night, the three of them, Gibbs, Jamie and Tony work on the boat together.

**THE END**

This concludes the story "Eyes of the Condemned". Coming soon will be the next story in this series. But until then, I hope you enjoyed this story.


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